For What It's Worth
by heartachequisition
Summary: Takane wouldn't say she had learnt a lot in school, and definitely not when it came to driving a damaged vehicle without a license, shooting from a real gun (also without a license), breaking into abandoned factories and keeping friendships from falling apart - no, school had not taught her any of that at all. But that wasn't even the worst of it. Mekakushi Dan, Survival AU.
1. Artificial Enemy

**A/N: **Here I sit, wondering why I'm starting another chapter story and sighing deeply. This one's a little different though! Also slight warnings for a bit of blood and swearing in the future. Hopefully they're not written too out of character – it's just that they're all very stressed and cranky and you'll see why later on.

I won't spoil anything, but I will say this: the Mekakushi Dan unity is very important to me. Take that as you will.

* * *

The alarm bells were ringing in her head long before any action had taken place. But just as she had felt the pulsing headache and the tightening of her veins – the speeding up of her heart and the scorching burn of her legs as she ran and the fear, all the fear that the world could possess which enveloped her whole; it was over.

And for a split second, a shard of glass grazed her chin before she was lifted off the ground completely.

Ayano shrieked, kicking and screaming as Shintaro carried her over his shoulder towards a truck outside her house, wiping the blood from his forehead with his free hand. Takane, who had taken possession of the driver's seat nodded grimly at the pair before turning away and tapping impatiently at the wheel; the older girl not having the heart to watch Ayano break down. She was in a similar state only an hour ago, and she thanked the stars that she didn't have to leave Haruka behind when they got attacked. Haruka however, was currently unconscious in the back, and Shintaro's brows furrowed in concern.

Before worrying about Haruka though, he had to deal with Ayano first.

"Don't do this to me!" The brunette wailed and clawed at Shintaro's back. Stinging, salty tears trickled down her face like a stream and into the gash on her chin and burning – burning so badly – but she didn't care. This wasn't like her (Ayano was usually a sweet, kind girl but good god, this was shattering her), and she really, really didn't care anymore.

Briefly, she thought of what a _heartless _and _despicable _person Shintaro was for doing this to her and she screeched even louder, almost losing her voice in the process, hoping he had a shred of soul left in him: "Shintaro, please, Shintaro, don't do this to me! Put me down!"

"I can't." He snapped harshly, undeterred for the most part but grip tightening immensely. "I'm not letting you go back there. Not now. Not ever."

"Tsubomi!" Ayano called, crying out in pained, shaky breaths. "Kousuke! Shuuya! Can you hear me? I'm right here, come out, please! Dad? I'm being abducted, so for once, could you save me?"

Ayano shrieked again when Shintaro tightened her scarf around her mouth to keep her from talking.

"It's no use!" He told her, eyes blazing then falling with what almost seemed like sadness. "They're as good as gone now."

She burst into another round of tears, unable to let another word pass through her lips. Her family – her ever so precious family – why did this have to happen? She had intended right from the get-go to save them – or die. She couldn't do either one.

Upon reaching the truck, Shintaro leapt into the back, quickly locking the hatch and securing the girl in his arms. Ayano continued to cry, her tears absolutely pouring now – but Shintaro paid her no heed.

"Drive, Enomoto, drive!" He demanded with a harsh knock to the window, and with a grumble, Takane slammed her foot on the accelerator and off they went.

"Don't blame me if I get us killed," She growled irritably, "I never learnt how to drive."

Ayano, now free from his hold and infuriated, practically ripped off her scarf and slapped Shintaro square across the cheek. And boy, did it hurt. Not only Shintaro's face, where a wound had reopened and was bleeding steadily once more, but Ayano's heart because she never, ever wanted to hurt anyone. Least of all Shintaro, who was her innocent classmate (friend, she assured herself, they were friends) until just a few minutes ago.

Nevertheless, overcome by her temporary insanity, she shouted at him. "Why would you do that to me!? I hate you, I hate you so much – what am I going to do, my entire family could be _dead _and you took me away from them?!"

"You were just about to die, you idiot." Shintaro, considerably agitated himself, scowled. He had to abandon his own family too, and they had watched him – flashes of his younger sister Momo trapped under debris screaming at him to 'get the fuck out of the way and run' and his mother who had smiled and said 'at least one of us can live on in the Kisaragi name, right son?'; it was so terrible he didn't want to remember. His face hurt like a bitch anyway, and he was bleeding in multiple places but in the end, this was the treatment he got? Thanks for nothing, Ayano. He shouldn't have saved her pathetic ass in the first place. "I saved your goddamn life, would you have a bit of respect?!"

"Respect?" She spat back, livid with anger. "You think_ I_ should be showing _you_ respect? You never showed me a single ounce of respect, especially back at school when you-"

"Oi, oi, oi!" Takane banged loudly on the window from the front. She had a death grip on the steering wheel, and her knuckles were going white. It seemed that they were all on the edge today, and no-one could blame them. "Shut. The hell up. I'm trying to drive this trashcan and I've got no clue what I'm doing and thanks to you two monkeys, I can't bloody concentrate! You should be thankful we're all still alive but at the rate we're going, you're going to kill each other instead! So SHUT UP."

"Bloody hell, woman." Shintaro muttered, staring pointedly at Haruka's sleeping form. "How did Haruka even put up with you at school every day?"

Ayano bristled, in defence of her female friend. "Shut up, Shintaro! She said shut up!"

They heard a sudden ringing gunshot, and the truck jolted. Ayano screamed, and Shintaro's head hit the steel wall of the truck, though Takane only panicked in the front seat, fiddling with the controls.

"Do you think this is a fucking game?" She bashed the gearstick, and smashed every button she could find. Looking ahead, she slammed the horn in desperation. "HOW THE HELL DO YOU DRIVE UP A HILL LIKE THAT."

Then there was a shower of gunshots, sending the vehicle spiralling before Takane let out a stream of curses and they sped up, veering into the sunflower fields off the side of the road. Scared, Ayano and Shintaro propped Haruka across their laps and huddled; not one daring to make a sound.

Takane didn't stop, however, and pushed down on the accelerator as hard as she could. This sent them almost flying through the fields, destroying every flower in their wake. Takane let out an ear piercing scream when she almost collided into two children – other survivors? – and the truck swerved, crashing into a tree.

It was a miracle it only suffered minor damage.

She immediately leapt out, first of all to see if the others were okay, and then to turn her attention to the children she had almost run over.

"Ma'am, your driving is very dangerous." The little girl commented, trudging surprisingly calmly up towards the truck without hesitation. She flicked one of her long, black pigtails over her shoulder. "Though, thank you, for not killing us of course."

The young boy who was her companion trailed her quietly, "If you're going to run, you won't survive like that. You need our help."

"Oh yeah?" Grated Takane grumpily, placing a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart. The adrenaline was way too much for her, and she didn't think she could ever play another racing game without throwing up. If she ever played another game, that is. "What've you got to offer? I can't exactly let you freeloaders on board without some kind of asset, you get me?"

"What do your friends do then?" The girl inquired sharply, pointing a finger at the heavily wounded Shintaro, the trembling Ayano and the still-unconscious Haruka. Shintaro glared at the girl, who only shrugged back at him, fingering the hem of her pink dress.

"Well, that guy? He's Shintaro. Shin's a sniper." Takane snapped, starting to make facts up on the spot. Judging on what she knew about her friends, and the situation at hand, this might have to soon become a reality anyway. "He's real accurate too. As well as being a fucking dumbass genius with an IQ of 168."

Shintaro, in turn, glared at Takane but didn't say anything. She waved him off, gesturing towards Ayano who was now in the process of tying her scarf back together – a defeated look in her dark eyes.

"Ayano, that girl, is our medical aid. She's also incredibly good at stealth. Sneaking around and picking locks and shit. She can cook, and likewise she can probably poison. She's our newest addition, so she's still a little… shaken."

Turning to Haruka, her expression softened slightly.

"Haruka, he's our uh, peacemaker. I guess. He keeps us all level-headed and is a wicked smart mapper, navigator, recon guy and tactician. But he's out like a light right now, so that's probably why we're all losing it."

"And I," She pointed at herself. "Am Takane. I shoot things at a few metres to point blank range, all dual wielding weapons give me upmost advantage, and I also learned to almost drive like 5 minutes ago. I can do tech work, hacking and repairs if it really comes down to it but I never thought I'd have to apply those skills they teach in school to real life."

"That's rather impressive." The young female commented, scanning her narrow eyes over the crew. "Nevertheless, I think Hibiya and I will be valuable to you, though."

Hibiya, which was apparently the boy's name, nodded. "First of all, I can probably drive better than you. Secondly, I melee shit. No fucker stands a chance when I'm charging in, and bam. Knock out."

His companion nudged him. "Hibiya, language."

"S-sorry, Hiyori." Straightening, he gave Takane a determined look, running a hand through his messy brown hair. "You can't do this with all ranged weapons. I can help with that. I can also cook, and I know a lot about plants. Believe me lady, plants can be deadly."

"I don't even need weapons." Hiyori, which was apparently the girl's name, raised a challenging eyebrow at the others. "I'm a martial artist. Black belt, three styles, mainly for self-defence. Also I can be very persuasive."

"She really can be." Hibiya added meekly. "Very persuasive."

Takane scowled, but mulled over her options for a few seconds. She didn't want to take the brats along, but she really didn't want to leave them to die here and live with the guilt that abandoning them was the cause of their death. "Look kids. I like what you've got, but can you keep up with the big guns?"

Hibiya and Hiyori exchanged a look. "We're the only survivors in a 100km radius. Apart from you goons, of course. We're uninjured, unlike most of you, and probably run faster and fit into smaller spaces than you lot too." Hiyori stated outright, tapping her chin. "Now you tell me."

"Okay, fine. You've got me." Takane crossed her arms. "But if you're gonna hop on, we'll need supplies. As much as you've got. Because we're never coming back."

Immediately, Hibiya dashed off while Hiyori merely stood by Takane's side, also crossing her arms.

Takane glanced at her, "Hey, you aren't gonna help your friend out?"

"No." Hiyori replied curtly, "He's got it all under control."

"Talk about attitude." Shintaro grumbled, placing a gentle hand on Ayano's shoulder but she shook him off.

Hiyori rolled her eyes. "Not like yours is any better, mister 'dumbass genius'."

"Shit, Takane." Shintaro laughed emptily, "This kid's practically your daughter. Even look at the hairstyle."

"You're finally going mad, Shin." She sighed, pushing Hiyori in the direction of the truck. "Get in there, girl. I'll go grab some stuff so let's hope you guys can get along while I'm gone."

Ayano seemed to perk up when Hiyori came closer, and without warning pulled the young girl into a hug. Hiyori, surprisingly (the child was full of surprises, it seemed), simply let her. When Ayano let go, Hiyori simply waved, "Hi there, it's been a while."

The scarf-clad girl nodded, examining Hiyori's face and arms for any cuts or bruises. "I'm so glad you're still alive."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Shintaro blinked, glancing between the two of them.

"Ayano's my niece." Hiyori clipped, petting the older girl on the head. "Last time I saw her was years ago, though. After Ayaka died."

The truck tittered abruptly, and Hibiya came hurtling in, thrusting boxes after boxes not caring who they hit and Takane was close behind. She kicked Hibiya in the shins to get him into the truck and closed the hatch, climbing into the front seat.

"They found us already!" Takane roared, starting up the engine. With a swift reverse, they were back to speeding through the flower fields again, and Takane's reckless driving led to more than a few people toppling on top of each other. "We've got to get out of here now!"

"Holy shit!" Shintaro screamed, as a dent appeared in the truck's side, knocking him forward and bruising his spine. He held a death grip to Haruka though, and Ayano did the same, as the older boy was still unconscious. "What the fuck is wrong with those things?"

"Language, Shintaro." Hiyori commented calmly, though her eyes were trained on Hibiya, who had garnered a few more injuries than when she had last seen him. "Hey, you. You… okay?"

Hibiya forced a smile. Usually he would be happier to see that she cared, but the circumstances were too dim for any hint of it to show through. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks for asking."

"By the way," Ayano piped up quietly, the vacancy of expression on her face nearly heartbreaking to watch. "Does anyone here know what 'they' are?"

Simultaneously, everyone shook their heads and Takane only screeched as they barely missed hitting another tree. With a start, Haruka shot up in cold sweat, his eyes wide.

"Oh my god," He breathed. "Stop him, stop him, give me my body back – please don't do this-"

Shintaro and Ayano both flew to him at once, asking, "Are you okay?!'

"This was not how I wanted him to wake up!" Takane said, preoccupied with driving but worried over Haruka all the same. She swerved again, hollering as she ran a street sign over and they made it back onto the main road.

"Let me tell you something about… 'them'." Haruka stated, in a shocking calm, and before anyone could question him, his kind brown eyes glowed red. A strange pattern blossomed from the mole under his right eye, and briefly, his fluffy, dark hair flashed white before colouring like that completely.

Hiyori stiffened, reaching a hand out to slowly touch his face. "Konoha? Is that you?"

"Hiyori. Hibiya." Haruka smiled, though both Shintaro and Ayano knew that it wasn't Haruka's smile. Then, the smile fell. "I have to tell you about 'them' now, because they'll kill me soon. I want you to help me. Help each other. Save everyone."

"Everyone is dead." Hibiya, having held his tongue for as long as he could manage, finally snapped. "Where were you when we were being hunted down, huh? Being killed? I swear to God, Konoha, you told us you were going to protect us! Where were you?"

Haruka, or Konoha, had a shine in his eyes then – the shine of unshed tears. "I'm sorry." He said. "But this is the most I can do."

"Konoha, please don't let them kill you." Hiyori pleaded, "We were supposed to be happy together. All of us, as a family."

Something in Shintaro cracked, and he punched the taller boy, eliciting a shriek from Hiyori and even Hibiya crawled away in fright.

"What the fuck did you do with Haruka?" His lips snarled with rage, and such a statement even silenced Takane, who had previously been screeching over her utter lack of driving skills.

"Let me tell you something about them-"

"What did you do with my friend?"

"Only overtook his body," Konoha responded weakly, "It's not permanent, so please let me explain-"

"Give him his body back." Ayano demanded swiftly, siding with Shintaro on this one. "Who are you?"

"Let me explain." Konoha uttered the words softly, but he was determined to let them know. Whether they trusted him or not, his time was running out, and Hibiya and Hiyori had to make it out or else. "I will give him his body back if you listen to me."

"Listen to him." Hiyori threatened shakily, pulling out a knife and aiming it at Ayano. "Please just let him talk."

Ayano's expression softened, again in defeat, and she sadly pulled Hiyori's knife from the girl's feeble grasp and pocketed it. The younger girl trembled, and she shot Ayano the most apologetic expression she could muster - which her niece returned uncertainly. "Okay. Okay, Shintaro, let him talk."

Hiyori went over to soothe Hibiya, and they clung to each other as they watched on with terrified eyes. Shintaro let Konoha go roughly, "Fine. Tell us what we need to know. Then go back to wherever the hell you came from."

"'They' are artificial beings. Monsters, mutants, cyborgs even, whatever you want to call them." He began, nodding gratefully at Shintaro and rubbing the back of his neck in pain. "'Artificial enemy' is the correct term, to be precise."

"Humans can no longer control them now, and they spread like a virus – independent, free and indestructible." Konoha's gaze fell. "But they are creating more. The artificial enemies are multiplying and destroying everything, because the one at the top wants to completely remake the world. A better world – without human beings."

"But," He continued after a long pause. "They aren't succeeding. Without a conscience, artificial enemies cannot function much better than an average microwave. They need something to make this never ending world exist full of beings under one's command but not as complete duds – they need humans themselves. Dead, or alive."

He hesitated, before he finally sighed. "Every artificial enemy used to be human."

Collectively, they gasped, and Ayano stood up, perfectly balanced in the wild vehicle. "Then why do they kill other humans? Why are they attacking us?"

"What do they want?" Shintaro bit out, but not aggressively anymore. He seemed deflated, more than anything.

"I don't know. All I know is that they don't recall anything beyond their dying wishes." Konoha sighed, and something overtook him. He keeled over, clutching his stomach. "I'm.. I'm running out of time."

"Konoha, no…" Hiyori cried suddenly, and Hibiya bit his lip in frustration.

"There is one." He managed weakly, appearance flickering to that of Haruka's. "Ene. Find the one called Ene. She was the prototype… the only one… who knows… everything."

He blacked out, fully returning to Haruka's unconscious form as before. Everything was dead silent apart from the screeching of tyres on the bitumen road.

"Ene, huh…" Takane murmured, a glint of electric blue flashing in her otherwise sharp hazel eyes. "Well, this thing just got a whole lot more complicated."


	2. Kisaragi Attention

**A/N: **I wrote this out a while ago but I seemed to have forgotten it existed. Here it is… I'm sorry for taking so long. Look at my poor excuse for writing violent things haha.

* * *

After Konoha's appearance and swift disappearance, an unsettling peace fell upon the group. The tantalising fear that had been keeping them on their toes had more or less distinguished. They were all unnervingly calm. It was as if they hadn't spent the entire morning going through their own near-death experiences and running from … creatures, or as Konoha told them 'Artificial Enemies'. It was as if they were used to this way of life already.

There was no wind or any clouds around, merely the scorching sun. It was odd in the way the temperature seemed to rise, but all of them, apart from Hiyori, seemed to deal with it accordingly. The young girl refused to show any hint of weakness, and proudly opted to continue sporting long, black sleeves and a thick dress in the sweltering heat.

"This whole thing's gonna blow soon." Takane commented drily, wiping sweat from her brow. She had been driving for two hours now, and their fuel was slowly running out. Her own fuel, all the energy she had conserved, was also running low. She felt as if she'd fall asleep at any moment.

Shintaro answered from his spot on the floor of the truck. His eyes and throat were dry, and there was still the unpleasant flakiness of dried blood on his face. "Sure as hell feels like it."

"It's as if someone took the lid off the sun and now all the heat is pouring out." Ayano said, wrapping her ratty scarf around her neck all the same. "That, or someone's set the road on fire."

"Don't jinx it." Shintaro replied, his voice flat.

Ayano frowned, not in the mood to deal with him.

Everyone had gotten rid of their outer garments long ago; Shintaro's red jersey, Ayano's pink cardigan, Takane's navy jumper and Hibiya's white hoodie, which left only Hiyori and Haruka who was still dozing in his sweater. The clothes made a pile for Haruka's makeshift pillow – though everyone doubted it made much of a difference.

Takane squinted as she tried to see what was up on the road ahead but to no avail – the entire surrounding area was bright with the orange of the sun. It was more annoying than anything really, and she was beginning to close her eyes completely as a result of the blinding light in her face.

Not an intelligent move, she realised, after they had all but run into a tree.

"Feels like we're baking like a pizza in an oven." Haruka spoke suddenly, his first words upon waking up. Immediately, everyone turned to him and started talking at once.

Takane groaned. "Do you ever think about anything besides food?"

"Does your head hurt at all?" Ayano piped in concern.

"What's up with you?" Hiyori asked, eyes not leaving her hands.

"Oh, great." Hibiya stated coldly. "Welcome back."

Shintaro shrugged, and murmured something that no-one could quite catch.

And that was that.

Stopping for a break, they were all relieved to discover they hadn't been followed, and Shintaro took residence in the passenger seat beside Takane, concerned for her mental state and having no will to sit for another few hours with moody teenagers and crates of junk. Haruka had quickly returned to his senses, though his brows were knitted and he was constantly chewing on his lip til it bled.

A bump in the road started it. Cracks soar ahead of them, the bitumen splitting straight in the middle. The rays of sun parted. Then there was fire. The truck jolted abruptly, almost tipping over, before Takane cursed, practically kicking the wheel to swerve back into place.

Everyone held on tighter to each other, as another jolt hit.

Like an electric shock, it was suddenly sending the littler ones careening forward. A hole grew on the roof, the sizzling spot of sunshine making its way into the truck like a torch's flaming light. Ayano stuck fast to Hiyori after that, and reluctantly, Hibiya clung to Haruka's sleeve, hissing like a cat to anyone who dared to mentioned it.

Silence.

Then, the radio started blaring suddenly – the broken radio, Takane noted as she had smashed it earlier – and after a moment of static, the all too familiar voice of Shintaro's sister filtered through.

"Hi there, this is Kisaragi Momo speaking," Shintaro immediately tensed, slamming his fist hard on the radio. It didn't stop. "Um, this is my first time speaking on radio so I'm kinda nervous but I'll do my best! Let's see, what should I talk about…"

Takane spared him a quick worried glance, her harsh features tight. There was a distorted crackling nearby, however, and at the sight of a branch hurtling towards them, she yelled. "Shin, duck! Now!" Then she was tearing rear view mirror off its perch and tossing it out the window behind him.

There was a splitting ring, and then nothing again.

"Hi there." The voice was booming, amplified, and a figure dressed in black landed on the front window blocking their view. The foot of the attacker, in red converse laced up high, came down readily; completely denting the steel hood of the truck. An impossible move, of course, if she had been human.

Takane was already bringing the vehicle to a screeching halt, but the figure flew to the roof, and then appeared by the side window. She was hanging upside down, eyes coloured blood red with slanting serpent pupils. Unmistakable. Irreplaceable.

Shintaro's jaw clenched.

"Hi, hi," Her hair – a mixture of pure black and dark orange – curled around her face like a possessive animal, and her lips tugged into a cruel smile as she waved at him, "This is Kisaragi Momo speaking."

It wasn't supposed to be possible. He watched her die.

Before he could move, Takane's shoe sailed past his face in a frenzied attempt to draw the idol's gaze elsewhere.

Now much closer, Momo easily caught it between her fingertips, tearing the sole of it off with a swift crunch of her teeth and flinging it towards the sky. Out of sheer panic, Takane threw her other shoe at her, hopelessly slipping under the dashboard to hide from the idol's powerful kicks. In quick pursuit, Momo slammed her foot through the roof top above and Takane flinched violently, avoiding the hit by mere centimetres.

A scream echoed from the back as the idol tore the roof clean off, the blood staining her hands seeming to be of little value to her.

Momo was relentless, but her main target wasn't the fiery truck driving shoe-firing teenage girl – it was someone who knew her even better. She backed off, returning to her position earlier; by Shintaro's window. Her face appeared flawless once again sans a twisted grin marring her sweet features, and an ever familiar pattern blossomed under her right eye. Konoha's marking. Dripping down her face.

Finally finding his voice, Shintaro angrily spurted, "What in the name of-"

She laughed.

"Heads up, big brother."

A shrill screaking sound, like nails on a chalkboard, was heard as Momo swung down, shattering the glass and metal framework of the truck front, practically slicing the vehicle in half. Her feet struck the dashboard, and splinters went flying. The stench of rotting flesh was heavy in the air.

Takane was throwing her arms up to defend herself, a short cry of, "Everyone, get out!" before she was forcefully extracted from the front seat by Ayano and Haruka.

Shintaro, however, refused to budge. Stupid, since he was sitting in and under a pile of debris but if he noticed, he didn't seem to give a damn.

"You died, Momo." He grit out, afraid, but not afraid enough to keep his mouth shut. "I saw you die."

When she only shrugged, something within him snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He spat out, eyes never leaving her gleaming irises. Haruka, who had attempted to help him, was harshly shoved aside.

Out of utter frustration, Shintaro moved to launch a weak hit but she caught his fist, and tugged him towards her. Somehow, they were flying.

"Hey now, I didn't die. I saved you." Momo voiced the words with a sick sort of satisfaction. "Weren't you paying attention?"

And like that, she was gone.

Shintaro rolled off the top of the vehicle, having being dropped from mid-air, and went crashing to the ground.

"Shintaro!" Ayano flew around to help him up, though the grouchy male shooed her away much like he did Haruka. Said boy pulled his sketchbook forlornly out of his jumper – it seemed that a thin window shard had pierced right through it, narrowly missing his own body.

"Hate to say it but," Hibiya began, always having something to say. "Your sister is nuts."

"She's not my sister." Shintaro said, significantly lower than usual. "At least, that thing isn't my sister."

"But she is an AE. And if she is, there is a chance that she could be Momo. At that level though, she must already be high ranking." Haruka remarked, an uncharacteristic frown tugging at his soft features. Somehow the foreign words were falling from his mouth, like he had spoken them many times. Or like someone else's words were being spoken through his lips. "Because that's not just any normal one. Especially if you can still distinguish her. A standard AE would look like the ones that attacked us in the town. Bloodthirsty shadows, with no real features."

"Is that what we're calling them now?" Mused Takane, the scare from earlier causing her hands to shake. Haruka placed his hands over hers to comfort her, but like Shintaro, she refused the gesture. "Do they get their own fancy codename now?"

"It's easier to say AE, as opposed to Artificial Enemy." Ayano answered, glancing around frantically. She had minimal damage but her face conveyed the most fear out of anyone. "By the way, where's Hiyori?"

Hibiya suddenly shot up in fright, "Hiyori!"

"Oh no, kid, you're not going anywhere." Grabbing hold of Hibiya's thin blue t-shirt, Takane tugged him backwards, leaving him stumbling awkwardly and falling to the ground.

"I have to go find – "

"I said you're not going anywhere."

"You're not my mother – "

"Guys. Look." Haruka gestured to a ruined city, only a short distance down the road. A haze seemed to surround it, but the glaring colours of spotlights were still shining through. "Is that a… concert?"

Something hit Haruka before anyone could react, and immediately the tall boy fell. Takane, who was closest, caught him but was struggling to keep hold of him.

"If you want her back," Momo appeared on the roof of the truck once more, with an unconscious Hiyori in her arms. "Then you tell me where to find Ene."

"Hiyori- wait, what? How the hell are we supposed to – wait, did you do that?" Hibiya, immensely aggravated and confused, finally ended his squawking pointing to Haruka.

"I did." She nodded, "Because he knows too much for it to be safe."

Meanwhile, Shintaro was honing in from the back, clambering up the truck with sheer determination. He was failing, of course.

"Hey you." He said coarsely, breathing hard. He hadn't even made it to the top of the vehicle, but he didn't think he could really get any further. Realistically, his feet were still on the ground anyway.

Momo turned slowly, her eyes flickering dangerously. "Stop looking at me." She commanded, and immediately everyone's attention was averted regardless of their will.

When they were free from the sudden spell, Momo had already disappeared… again.

"Shh." Hibiya spoke up before anyone could say anything.

Takane looked at him, "What?"

"I can smell her."

"… are you a dog?"

"No! Just.. just sniff." The brunet crossed his arms. "Trust me."

Ayano gasped, "Something smells like … rotting… meat?"

Takane blanched. "Gross."

"The next time someone sees her, can they hit her for me?" Hibiya questioned with a taut scowl. Swivelling on his dusty old sandals, his eyes wandered back to the city. "That thing is really pissing me off though."

"I know Momo's an idol but…" Ayano clasped her hands together. "Why would she hold a concert here?"

Quietly, Shintaro spoke, as if coming up with a revelation. "Because for some reason, she wants us to follow her."

Shintaro dashed towards the source before anyone could stop him. Takane, who was carrying Haruka with much trouble, called after him in panic but it was Ayano who took chase. In fear of both her friends' lives, Takane threw the gun she had been keeping after Ayano, which the brunette grasped with shivering fingers. Then she kept going.

On the other hand, Shintaro was finally feeling the pain of spontaneous decision-making. Racing down the streets until he almost collapsed – he was never good at exercise and his lungs were giving out on him already – he tried in a last ditch effort to ram into his sister from the side.

She was on a makeshift stage, singing, to an audience of ashes. Then she stopped.

When he charged, Momo snarled, elbowing him straight in the face and delivering a sharp kick to his stomach which sent him sprawling. She huffed, slamming her foot down on his fingers before bouncing back a few metres, eyes narrowing.

"Are you here for the girl?" She asked quickly, "I'll kill her if you lay a finger on me."

"I'm not here for her." He replied evenly. "I'm here for you."

* * *

"I think I've figured it out!" Hibiya declared, circling around Takane and Haruka like a deranged man, before tripping over a pile of trash. "She lures survivors with… uh, that. The light and music things."

"The concert?" Takane asked incredulously, re-adjusting Haruka on her back. God, he was heavy.

"Yeah, the concert. Somehow, it attracts people… and, and, there's stuff that happens and basically she's a massive, walking trap! That's why this entire city has 0 people! And 0 corpses or zombies or whatever."

"Stop imagining things like that," She deadpanned. "I'd rather not make light of this situation. And if you want to save Hiyori, we – "

"Hiyori!" Hibiya screamed, speeding off with a frantic Takane chasing after him. She was not being paid to babysit this crazy kid, for goodness' sake.

"DUDE, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

* * *

"Momo," Shintaro choked. He hadn't cried since he was a child, and he wasn't going to start now. "Stop it. I'm your brother, remember? You even said so earlier."

"I slipped up." Momo said defiantly. Her eyes were glowing red and the colour seemed to bubble and spill over, clear droplets dripping from her eyes. "You're just another target."

"You do remember me, and you know it." He said, bruised fingers clenching into a fist. Then he launched, calves aching and chest heaving from the effort. He headed straight towards her again, screaming like a madman. With zero knowledge of hand-to-hand combat and bare minimum athletic ability, Shintaro was at a major disadvantage. He didn't find the time to care.

Momo seemed startled, before she took a quick step back. She noted immediately he was aiming to tackle her from the right. An obvious, amateur move.

Refusing to show any sign of weakness, she rushed towards him with her right elbow sticking out as a guard and watched for the moment his feet left the ground to strike.

As he leapt, her eyes shone with the sheen of an artificial redness and then his gaze couldn't leave her. She watched as his body twisted mid-air to change its focus – straight to her 'capturing' eyes – and she used the opportunity to slide under him, ripping her black jeans painfully but hearing the audible crunch of bones as he hit the pavement behind her.

She let a sickening smile flash across her lips before she scrambled up, standing with impossible grace and flexibility. Sauntering up to Shintaro's body, she drove her foot roughly into his side, confirming he was out cold – if not broken in several places. Not dead, because if she brought him back dead, Azami might just hang her.

"Well, that went better than expected." Her voice, usually so fluid and melodic and controlling, came out hoarse and broken as if she had been crying. For a second, the red in her eyes vanished, and her dark eyes filled with tears. Then, they glowed red again. Brighter, and brighter. The mark on her face spread.

The insanity spread.

A strangled shout came from behind, and it was too late when her sharpened instincts were alerted to the danger. Without time to recover or even turn her head, Momo felt the piercing pain of a bullet passing through her directly in the side, right through her lung – and the idol too, went crashing to the ground.

It wouldn't be over though. Hadn't Azami told her something important? She and three others were the few second generation Artificial Enemies… standard weapons couldn't kill her. Still, she couldn't keep fighting like this.

She blacked out; to save power. To recharge.

"Oh my god." Drawing a sharp breath, shattering even to herself, Ayano's eyes darted down to her hands and panic spread across her face. She gasped and let the smoking gun fall to the ground with a sharp clatter. Shaking her head in disbelief, Ayano ran for it, until she ran straight into a stumbling Takane.

"Whoa, what's the hurry?" The older girl inquired in alarm.

"I shot her!" She wailed loudly, in a state of extreme hysteria. "I shot Shintaro's sister!"

Takane dropped Haruka in shock. "Holy shit. You didn't."

"I did!" Ayano was so horrified she didn't even have the will to cry, and she simply stood, her entire body trembling. "I was just so scared and I thought she killed him so I got the gun and I don't even know how it happened but I shot her and – "

"Okay, okay, okay, slow down. You did what you had to so breathe." Takane said, shooting the other the most comforting smile she could in this sort of situation. She scrambled to pick Haruka off the ground again, but him being almost twice her size it was quite a feat. Catching sight of Ayano still trembling, the older girl tried to smile. "Ayano, seriously. Calm down. Think about this. I gave you a gun just in case you needed to use it and you did. Now where's Shintaro?"

"Same place I left him…"

"Okay, let's think rationally about this for a moment." Stomping her foot, Takane huffed. "We'll go back for Shintaro, and we'll get out of here now. That okay?"

Ayano whimpered slightly, but nodded. "Yes…"

They hurried back to the scene, or as fast as they could get there with Haruka in tow and found Shintaro lying on the ground.

Takane nudged him but he didn't move. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Now we have to carry them both."

A head popped out from behind a boulder, and so did another. Ayano jumped, before she started towards them, eyes shining. "Hiyori! Hibiya! You're okay!"

Hiyori laughed, "Oh, that was simply the most fantastic experience, you wouldn't believe…"

Takane raised an eyebrow and Hibiya raised one back in challenge. "Dude, how the hell did you find her?"

"I told you, I have a good sense of smell."

"You're a dog, that's what you are."

"If you must know," Hiyori cut in swiftly. "It's his eyesight. He's always been able to see through and beyond things."

Ayano and Takane blinked owlishly. Then a groan from behind signalled Shintaro's awakening.

They all whipped around to face him, suddenly crowding around him and pestering him with questions. Shintaro seemed to brush off any injuries he had as he shakily stood up, and went limply striding towards Momo's unconscious form.

Wincing visibly, he hauled her up over his shoulder and started towards an abandoned bus.

"Shintaro, wait, what are you doing?"

He glared at Ayano, tossing the lithe, bloody body he was carrying into a scraggly seat on the bus. He spoke clearly and succinctly, making sure that they all knew he was serious. "She's coming with us."

"She's an AE!" Ayano cried, "She's dangerous!"

"Shin, you've got to leave her here." Takane agreed. "We don't know enough about her to keep her contained."

Hiyori and Hibiya eyed the bus nervously, exchanging a glance. They watched Haruka get up groggily while the other argued, and helped him to his feet.

To the younger ones, Haruka reasoned, "The truck got smashed back there, don't you remember?"

"I hate buses." Hiyori commented, but nodded all the same, reaching to hold onto Haruka's sleeve.

"Me too." Hibiya said, holding onto his other sleeve.

Haruka only sighed. "We can't drive half a destroyed truck around, and if we tried, Takane would get really mad."

"I'm already mad." Takane whacked him on the shoulder, "It's too far away to get to anyway. I had to drag you all the way here and I'm not dragging you all the way back."

Meanwhile Ayano, still persisting against Shintaro, tugged on Momo's leg hoping to pull her off of him. "You can't let her on board, she could kill us!"

"Well, I'm not leaving without her." He spat stubbornly, hopping into the seat beside the AE and blocking anyone from touching the girl. "She's my sister. And if anything, she is _evidence._"

"Let her stay." Haruka said, pulling the sleeves of his sweater over his hands. "If we can get her on our side, she could be a great help."

"Not you too." Takane muttered, "That thing's dangerous!"

"Momo." Shintaro corrected rudely. "Is my sister."

"She did try to kill us though. And mostly you, too." Hibiya pointed out, yelping when Hiyori jabbed him in the side.

When they all turned to her, Hiyori smiled sweetly, but in a commanding voice said, "She gets to stay. No arguing. Anyone who disagrees can stay behind."

"She used _you _as bait!" The brunet protested weakly, following his friend nonetheless.

"I got to be VIP at her concert. _And _I still want her signature." Hiyori said curtly, sitting opposite Shintaro and Momo and gazing condescendingly at the others. "Well? Are you getting in or not?"

"That's everyone." Takane announced with a loud sigh, once they had all piled on, reluctantly or otherwise. "I take it you're wanting me to drive again?"

"Yeah." They chorused, a long, emotionless tone.

Takane grumbled but sat herself down and started to fiddle with the buttons, shivering slightly but not enough for anyone to notice. Her eyes gleamed as she bent over the wheel, and one could say she was sleeping for a couple of seconds before she started the engine up with a loud bang.

"Where're we gonna go?" Haruka, who lay across the front seats, asked the driver with a light smile.

"Anywhere but here," She told him, "Anywhere but here."

Ayano sighed finally, curling into a ball on the seats at the back of the bus. She wanted to cry because she was homesick, honestly, but most of all she wanted to cry because she was such a terrible person. A terrible person because seeing Momo like that made her happy; gave her hope. Because she thought for even a moment that her siblings had a chance to become one of those creatures – and that would be okay.

She was such a terrible person. Hiding her face in the threadbare seat, she tried to get to sleep.

It would be a long way forward now, and the threat was closer than any of them had initially known.

If she looked up, she would've noticed something shimmering on the roof of the bus. Not entirely visible, but something – something was there. In a crouched stance, slimly sliding into the luggage shelf, the figure of a man – or a woman, one couldn't quite tell – watched on with gleaming, crimson eyes.

"I found them, thanks to Kisaragi," They whispered, but to whom it was unclear. They nodded once. There was a sweeping of green hair, before the intruder vanished entirely. "Well then, Kano, I'll be waiting for you to come. Don't be late."


End file.
